John LaMarr
John LaMarr is Lieutenant Commander and the Chief Engineer of the [[The Orville|USS Orville]]. According to Admiral Halsey, LaMarr served with the Orville under the previous captain as lieutenant and navigator prior to Ed Mercer assuming command.Episode One: Old Wounds. LaMarr served as navigator for most of the first season. He is promoted to chief engineer in the episode New Dimensions, replacing Steve Newton. History John LaMarr grew up on a farming colony on an unnamed planet. He attended the academy at Union Point where he earned some of the highest marks in Point's history, an achievement he keeps secret from his peers. In New Dimensions, he describes the colonists of his youth as deeply suspicious of anything perceived as intellectual, which pushed him to hide his brilliance. After an unknown period, Lieutenant LaMarr is assigned to the Orville where he served as Navigator under an unnamed captain. At the start of the show, LaMarr remains Navigator under the Orville's new captain, Ed Mercer. When Chief Engineer Steve Newton leaves the Orville for a new assignment, LaMarr is promoted to Newton's vacant spot as Lieutenant Commander, leapfrogging Lieutenant Yaphit, who was next in line for promotion. Old Wounds Captain Mercer meets LaMarr during formal introductions with the senior staff. LaMarr is noticeably more casual in his demeanor toward the Captain than the rest of the crew, calling the Captain "man" in place of "sir." He requests permission from Mercer to drink soda on the bridge. After Mercer dismisses the senior staff, LaMarr introduces himself to Helmsman Gordon Malloy in his quarters. As Navigator and Helmsman, the pair would work side-by-side on the bridge. During the Orville's first departure from Earth with Mercer as captain, LaMarr is seen drinking soda on the bridge. Later, in flight, the bridge crew gossips about Mercer and First Officer Kelly Grayson's failed marriage. When Second Officer Bortus hints the staff should not discuss the private lives of their superiors, LaMarr is adamant the conversation continue. Upon arrival at the planet Epsilon 2, Mercer, Grayson, Chief of Security Alara Kitan, and Doctor Claire Finn take a shuttle to the surface of the planet to meet with Doctor Aronov and other botanists. When the ground team is sabotaged by a Krill spy, the bridge crew is forced to battle a heavy Krill warship. LaMarr assists Malloy maneuver the Orville in a difficult attack tactic called "Hugging the Donkey" to distract the Krill ship from capturing a shuttle holding the ground team, Aronov, and valuable technology. Command Performance When the bridge crew learns from Mercer that Bortus has laid an egg, LaMarr wants to know how the egg exits a Moclan body and is surprised Mercer did not ask. While Kitan serves as acting captain of the ship, LaMarr is critical of her reluctant decision-making and inexperience. Later, he is shocked that Kitan directs the crew to abandon Mercer and Grayson to the Calivon. Malloy refuses to pilot the ship and leave the couple. He is relieved of duty and LaMarr assumes control of the helm. About a Girl Dressed in U.S. Marshall outfits typical of the "Old West," Mercer, Malloy, and LaMarr participate in a standoff with a simulation of 19th century bandidos ''in the holographic generator that turns into a dance contest. Malloy and LaMarr have Bortus watch the movie ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in a successful effort to convince Bortus not to alter the sex of his child.National Broadcasting Company. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. NBC. 1964. LaMarr navigates the shuttle from the Orville to the surface of the planet Moclus. He helps Mercer and Kitan search for other females on Moclus to be used as witnesses at trial. If the Stars Should Appear The Captain assembles a small away team to board an unknown alien colony ship, and LaMarr stays aboard the Orville. When the bridge receives word that a Union colony transport, [[USS Druyan|USS Druyan]],'' is under attack from the Krill, the Orville is forced to strand temporarily the away team. The Krill destroyer nearly destroys the Orville in the ensuing battle; LaMarr convinces Bortus to attack the destroyer's engines in a last-chance barrage. His gambit works and the crew is able to return to the away team. Pria Krill Majority Rule Into the Fold Cupid's Dagger Firestorm New Dimensions Personality LaMarr gets along best with his bridgemate, Malloy. The two are laid-back and casually disregard officer decorum. Their attitudes stand in sharp contrast to the rest of the crew. LaMarr drinks soda on the bridge, addresses other crew members as "man" or "dude," even to superior officers, and frequently makes openly critical or sarcastic remarks.In promotional materials for the show, LaMarr is often depicted drinking soda. In the episode [[Command Performance|''Command Performance]], LaMarr jokes about her inexperience after she demurs in the face of a decision. When Kitan dares him to repeat his remark, he stands down and addresses her as "sir." LaMarr's casual attitude was J. Lee's take on the character. In an interview with Rolling Out, Lee explains that nonchalance was LaMarr's way to assess Mercer: "When I first meet Ed, the new captain of the ship, I sort of take him in and size him up a little but then quickly shows how great of a captain he really is."Lauren Mayo. "Actor J Lee talks artistry and new Fox series ‘The Orville’". Rolling Out. August 24, 2017. LaMarr's character often functions as a tool to explain the story through a generalized metaphor that audiences will understand. For example, Isaac says that the Orville can enter Calivon space because Isaac is Kaylon. LaMarr summarizes: "White guy can go to Compton if black dude says it's cool."Episode Two: Command Performance. Trivia * Along with Malloy, LaMarr finds star-mapping to be extremely boring.Episode Four: If the Stars Should Appear. * He has a crippling fear of clowns (Coulrophobia), and considers "hobo clowns" to be the scariest of all.Episode Ten: Firestorm. * He has one of the highest academic records from Union Point, and after Isaac is considered the most intelligent member of the Orville.Episode Eleven: New Dimensions. Appearances *''Episode 1: Old Wounds'' *''Episode 2: Command Performance'' *''Episode 3: About a Girl'' *''Episode 4: If the Stars Should Appear'' *''Episode 5: Pria'' *''Episode 6: Krill'' *''Episode 7: Majority Rule'' *''Episode 8: Into the Fold'' *''Episode 9: Cupid's Dagger'' *''Episode 10: Firestorm'' *''Episode 11: New Dimensions'' References Category:Characters Category:Orville Crew Category:Humans